The next day started out with a beautiful morning, the sky was clear of clouds and the temperature already very warm even though the sun had just risen a few hours ago. Sirius woke up very early, feeling very hopeful and confident after their visit at the Potters. He could do it. He would do it.
He got up silently, careful not to be too loud and accidentally wake Regulus, and opened the front door, stepping out into the fresh morning air that promised a beautiful summer day to follow. He let the sunbeams caress his skin as he wandered a bit over the green meadows, enjoyed listening to the soft humming of the bees flying from one purple heather bush to the next, watched butterflies spreading their colourful wings and dancing in front of him.
Nature here was truly of magical beauty. Sirius looked back to the small cottage, thinking it would be the perfect day to swim in the lake or fly a bit on their brooms. He'd kept Reg's and his broom hidden until now, not trusting his brother with it, but after yesterday, he felt confident that Reg would stay with him, inside the wards, if he would just keep an eye on him. Regulus hadn't tried to run away yesterday either, he had been polite and very well behaved, and Sirius felt he should reward Regulus' behaviour somehow. It was not his intention to keep his brother prisoner, he wanted Regulus to enjoy his time here, he wanted his brother to stay out of his own will, eventually.
After some time, Sirius returned to the cottage, went to the kitchen and started to fry some eggs and prepare some other stuff for breakfast. It amazed him how much he liked the little morning ritual he had established for himself the last days, making breakfast for himself and his brother. It put his mind at rest and he could do something nice for his brother, make food Regulus liked, show an effort. It was a subtle way to show that he cared for his brother. And he felt that Regulus appreciated it, at least yesterday and the day before, Reg had liked the pancakes, Sirius knew that.
It made him proud and warmed his heart.
After some minutes, Reg walked into the kitchen, still in his pyjamas, yawning heavily as he stopped in the doorpost, watching Sirius work for a bit.
"Can I help you with anything?" He asked his big brother, not wanting to stand around useless any longer, feeling awkward.
Sirius was positively surprised. He smiled and pointed at the toaster "Put some toasts in it. After that, you can carry these plates to the table," he advised his brother, motioning towards the plates next to him.
Regulus nodded and did as he was bidden, preparing the table while Sirius finished frying the eggs.
"You want coffee or tea? Or orange juice?" Sirius asked his brother.
Regulus decided he wanted tea, and then they both sat down at the table, enjoying their breakfast.
"Have you slept well?" Sirius asked casually. Regulus nodded, his mouth so full of toast and bacon that he held some resemblance to a hamster, causing the corners of Sirius' mouth to twitch upwards at the thought.
"I thought we could go outside today, the weather is great. We've sat too long inside, it's summer! Would you like to go swim in the loch? We could fly as well." Sirius suggested.
At the prospect of flying, Regulus' face lit up. "Yes, I'd like that!" He said, a sincere smile appearing on his face. He'd really missed flying the last days. Sirius smiled back.
The day they spent together was great. They swam in the lake for a bit, then got out and let themselves dry in the sun while lying on their backs in the soft grass, looking up into the cloudless, summerblue sky. It was like reliving childhood memories they'd never had.
Finally, Sirius went inside and retrieved the brooms he had hidden under his bed. Regulus was so excited he almost couldn't stand still.
"Wait a second, okay? There are some things we need to discuss first." Sirius said as Reg got ready to get on his broom and start flying. Regulus looked at his brother with a puzzled expression, then shrugged his shoulders and waited for his brother to speak. What was there to discuss?
"Come, sit down," Sirius said, sitting down on the soft grass in front of the cottage, motioning for Regulus to do so as well.
Regulus sat down and looked at Sirius expectantly.
"There are certain rules concerning flying that I want to talk to you about," Sirius said, grimacing slightly as he said the world rules. He himself was known as a notorious rule-breaker, and somehow establishing rules now for flying made him feel like a total hypocrite.
"To begin with, you have to know that there are wards installed around the cottage. They reach a hundred yards radius around the cottage and fifty yards into the air. It's like a dome you need to stay inside of because otherwise the muggles might see you."
Regulus nodded. He could live with that.
"Secondly, I want you to ask permission before you fly. And the broom stays with me, not in your room. Do you understand?" Sirius asked in a serious voice.
Regulus raised his eyebrows. "Why do I have to ask permission?"
"Because I say so. No permission, no flying. You can decide right now whether you're okay with the rules, otherwise, there won't be any flying today." Sirius answered firmly.
"Err… alright. Whatever. I'll ask permission. Anything else?" Regulus' voice sounded slightly brazenly, but he stopped himself from being outright defiant. It was bothering him that Sirius suddenly was such a rule stickler but he didn't want to start a fight right now and risk the possibility of being allowed to fly.
Sirius looked at him for a moment, considering, then shook his head. "No, I guess, that's all." They stood up and got on their brooms, pushing themselves from the ground and soaring up in the air.
Flying was awesome. Regulus felt so free, so happy suddenly. And flying with Sirius was more fun than he had expected. They threw a quaffle around a few times, then they started to fly a race, and they were almost on a level, with Sirius being slightly faster. The cool stunts on the other hand were Regulus' area of expertise, and he proudly showed them off to Sirius, basking in his big brother's praise. It was strange how warm it made his heart feel when Sirius applauded to a particularly difficult move, how much he craved his brother's approval.
Maybe they could start being brothers again. And then he could save Sirius, from the traitors' grip.
Merlin, he craved it so much. His brother, having a real family. A home.
During the next two days, they spent a lot of their time outside, as if to make up for the time they had spent inside last week. It was like the beautiful weather lifted their moods and freed their spirits, and they didn't even fight once during those days. In the evenings, they played chess or exploding snap, or they just sat together in the living room, reading, talking, enjoying each other's company and their newfound brotherly relationship. Sirius started to trust Regulus more, even let him fly alone at times and lifted the spells that prevented Reg leaving the house without Sirius accompanying him from the windows and doors. It was okay for Reg to open his own window, Sirius trusted him not to try and send a letter to Bellatrix again.
On the evening of the third day, they sat together in the living room in front of the bickering fireplace, reading, and it was already getting dark, as Regulus spontaneously felt like flying again.
"Sirius, I'm going to fly a bit, okay?" He said, already getting up and turning in the direction of Sirius' bedroom.
"No, not now. It's almost dark outside. Wait until tomorrow," Sirius responded, not even looking up from his book.
Regulus stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around and furrowed his brows.
"What? Why not?" He said, surprised by his brother saying no to flying. Sirius had always permitted it immediately until now, and Regulus had thought the point was more in him asking respectfully than Sirius actually allowing it.
"It's getting dark, Reg. I don't want you flying in the dark," Sirius explained.
"Yeah, but why?" Regulus' voice adopted a whiny tone.
"Because I say so. You're fourteen, and it's late. You should go to bed, not fly around at night," Sirius said, now slightly annoyed by his brother arguing with him.
"I don't want to go to bed! Why are you like this now?" Regulus complained.
Sirius exhaled audibly. "Why are you like this? Do you want to annoy me? I'm reading, and you're bothering me. Go to bed or don't, just – shut up."
Sirius just wanted to concentrate, for Merlin's sake. He was reading in his History of Magic book, he had to over the holidays to draw up the essay Professor Binns had advised them to do, and he really wanted to improve his grade the next year. So he toiled away on reading about the endless goblin wars of the last centuries, and now Regulus chose this exact moment to act up!
"Fine," Regulus grumbled, left the living room and went into his bedroom, slamming the door. He wanted to fly, and why shouldn't he? Just because Sirius suddenly thought he held some kind of authority over him, because he was a few years older?
Well, if he couldn't fly, then he'd read in his Secrets of the Darkest Art book.
See if Sirius would care.
Regulus went to his trunk and retrieved the dark arts book from where he had hidden it under his schoolbooks.
He stomped back to the living room, extra loudly, making Sirius glare at him with narrowed eyes. He let himself fall into his armchair and began to read, holding the cover on purpose so that Sirius could see it from where he sat.
Oh, Sirius saw it alright. Out of the corner of his eyes, Regulus saw his brother's face blanching, and Sirius threw his own book down on the coffee table in front of them. Then Sirius got up and approached Regulus until he stood directly in front of his little brother.
"What are you reading?" Sirius asked in a dangerous voice.
"Just – leave me alone or whatever. I'm trying to concentrate here," Regulus responded insolently, copying Sirius' posture of when he'd forbidden Regulus to fly.
Sirius grabbed the book from Regulus, turned it around and read the title. Then he threw it on the floor.
"Where did you get that?" He hissed, his eyes blazing.
Regulus jumped slightly at the sound of the heavy book connecting with the wooden floor, but kept silent, ignoring his brother. That's what Sirius got for treating him like a child. It would show him that Regulus wouldn't easily be subdued. Sirius would regret not letting him fly.
Sirius took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "I don't want you reading books like this. It's a dark arts book, you know that. Why would you read such a thing?"
"Because." Regulus crossed his arms in front of his chest, leaning back in his armchair.
Sirius leaned down and put his hands on the elbow rests of Regulus' armchair, trapping his little brother in his armchair. He looked Regulus directly in the eye as he spoke, trying to control the anger that was boiling up inside of him.
"Reg, the dark arts are evil. The curses and spells in this book are evil – solely created to hurt people! Where did you get the book?" Sirius wanted to rip his own hair out. Didn't realize Regulus what curses like the ones described in that book did?
Regulus turned his head away, still not responding.
"I swear, Regulus, this is not the time for you to ignore me. I asked you a question!" Sirius said in a hard, angry voice, straightening up again, shifting into an authoritative posture.
"And I don't care!" Regulus shouted. "You said that I couldn't fly, so I'm doing something else. Wasn't that what you wanted? Now leave me alone!"
Regulus bent down to pick the book up from the floor, but Sirius snatched it away from under his fingers and threw it right into the flames.
Regulus roared and lunged towards the fireplace, only to be grabbed by Sirius from behind him and to be pulled away from the flames that flared up and hungrily consumed his book.
"No! It was Mother's!" Regulus yelled, fighting against Sirius who held him in a tight grip. But he had no chance, Sirius was much taller and stronger than he was and countered his kicks easily, holding his little brother tightly against his chest effortlessly it seemed, brining Reg's arms to his sides.
"Calm down this instant. This book is right where it belongs, you don't read shit like this, understood?" Sirius hissed into Regulus' ear, keeping his bucking and kicking little brother firmly away from the fire until the book was reduced to an unrecognizable pile of ashes.
Only then he released Regulus.
Tears burned in Regulus' eyes as he watched his treasured possession being destroyed. He turned around and glared at his brother, baring his teeth.
"I fucking hate you, Sirius!" He shouted, his voice shaking as tears started to roll down his cheeks.
His mother's book, the book she'd given him to his thirteenth birthday.
Burned to ashes.
It's a family heirloom, Regulus. I got it from my mother. Now, it belongs to you.
Sirius opened his mouth to say something, but Regulus violently jostled him away and ran out of the living room. Sirius heard a door opening and being slammed a second later and he sunk down on the armchair Regulus had sat in previously, hiding his face in his hands.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Sirius, Regulus hadn't entered his own room but Sirius' and had slammed the door behind him. He went to the bed and crawled halfway under it and retrieved his broom.
Then he opened the window and flew away, not once looking back.
Sirius stayed in the living room for some time, wanting to try to collect his thoughts and give Regulus some time to calm down as well. He hadn't known that the book had been their mother's, although he probably should've known it. Walburga Black had often enough tried to feed him with that kind of literature as well, but Sirius had never even looked twice at it, much to the dismay of his parents.
Sirius knew Regulus sympathized with dark wizards, hell, he'd seen him at the weekend in Hogsmeade, wearing a Death Eater mask.
But during the last days, Regulus hadn't acted like that at all, he'd been smiling a lot, been happy, they had had a good time. Regulus had known that Sirius wouldn't allow such books in his possession, maybe that's why he had kept it hidden until now.
Had Regulus been acting up because he wasn't allowed flying at night? Sirius almost couldn't believe it. Had he been testing him? Sirius had read that once, about children testing their boundaries through disobeying and throwing tantrums. He thought Mr. Potter had mentioned it as well, at some point.
Had this been a tantrum? Sirius was totally confused. Should he punish Regulus for his behaviour? Sirius was sure that if he had behaved like that in front of Mr. Potter, more importantly bringing a dark arts book into the house, he wouldn't be sitting right now.
Maybe he should just start and prepare dinner, and then they could talk.
But talk about what? Sirius didn't comprehend how Regulus could think nothing of it while reading dark arts books. Maybe they should talk about rules. What was allowed and what wasn't. What consequences could be expected after rule-breaking.
Rules. This was awful. Why couldn't Regulus just behave? Wasn't it crystal clear that dark arts books weren't allowed? Wasn't it normal that you didn't talk to your guardian that way, even if he was 'just' your brother?
Obviously, he had expected too much from Regulus. He'd made a mistake somewhere on the way, or they wouldn't be where they were right now. Sirius got up slowly, going into the kitchen and leaning against the counter. Should he make dinner? He didn't feel like it at all.
"Blinky!" He called, and with a soft pop the little house elf appeared.
"Blinky, bring me two portions of dinner, for me and my brother."
"Yes, Master Sirius. Blinky will cook dinner immediately!" Blinky bowed deeply, causing her big, pointy ears to flap forward and then she disappeared again with another soft popping sound.
A few minutes later, dinner appeared on the table. Sirius sighed as he slowly made his way to his brother's room. He didn't exactly expect Regulus to be all apologetic now, he expected something like another tantrum or just being ignored again.
What he didn't expect was that there was no Regulus at all.
At first, Sirius almost didn't believe his eyes. "Reg?" He called loudly, turning around in the small room, searching for his brother.
No Regulus.
A wave of panic rose in Sirius. Where was he? Where was his little brother? Sirius hurried back into the corridor, opening the bathroom door – no Reg there either.
That only left his bedroom. A cold, plunging sensation entered his stomach. Sirius took a deep breath, fearing what he might discover behind this door, then he collected all his courage and opened it.
Merlin, no.
The window was wide open, the wind was blowing the curtains into the air, causing them to eerily wave and dance in the moonlight.
No. Please don't let this be real, Sirius thought as his heart leapt to his throat. He launched to the window, leaned outside. Searched the dark meadows and the air for his brother.
"Regulus!" He shouted as loud as he could, feeling his knees transform to pudding. But he got no answer. Reg was gone.
TBC…
